Prepared by Delaware County Regional Planning Commission Delaware County, Ohio Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan Review Committee Yvonne Clippinger Mike McVan Pat Monahan Shirley Roskoski Shawnee Hills Planning and Zoning Commission Pat Monahan Yvonne Clippinger Dan Mathews Kathy Isern Dave Probst Mayor Pat Monahan Shawnee Hills Village Council Charles Callender Yvonne Clippinger Mahesh Dalvi Kristine Garren James Gauldin Mike McVan Clerk Treasurer Shirley Roskoski Delaware County Regional Planning Commission Staff Scott B. Sanders, AICP, Executive Director Stephanie J. Matlack, Executive Administrative Assistant Da-Wei Liou, MCP, GIS Manager Page ii Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents Executive Summary Page v Chapter 1 Introduction Page 1 Chapter 2 Population and Development Trends Page 3 Chapter 3 Issues, Opportunities, & Citizen Participation Page 11 Chapter 5 Existing Conditions Page 15 Chapter 6 The Community Page 33 Chapter 7 General Economic Conditions Page 39 Chapter 8 Infrastructure (Streets and Utilities) Page 45 Chapter 9 Future Development Patterns Page 63 Chapter 10 Recommendations for Future Development Page 73 Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan Page iii Page iv Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary The original subdivision plats known as the ―Shawnee Hills Additions‖ collectively totaled over 3,600 lots. They were platted in the 1920s in an effort to create a resort fishing community on the O‘Shaughnessy Reservoir of the Scioto River. Lots were small, typically 35‘ by 70‘, exclusive of the road easement. Many of the platted streets were initially constructed to access the lots, but no utilities were installed because no public water or sewer was available. Lacking major utilities, village growth initially was slow, standing in 2001 at about 419 residents, 200 homes, and 30 businesses. Meanwhile, Delaware County grew at an astounding 64.3% from 1990-2000, the fastest growing county in Ohio for that ‘90s. The county‘s growth continued in the decade 2000-2010, posting an additional 58% increase in population. That same decade brought an agreement with Columbus that paved the way for sewer in the Village. Its strategic location in the south of the county, adjacent to the city of Dublin, led to a 2010 population of 681. This represented a 63% increase in population for the decade. The constraints of the 1920s plat offer challenges as well as opportunities. There are 2,199 platted lots in the village, yet the sewer system, designed to correct septic overflows to the O‘Shaughnessy Reservoir, a Columbus drinking water supply, cannot serve each platted lot individually. An allocation plan (ordinance) treats ―vested‖ non-conforming lots of record as conditional uses if they cannot meet current lot size requirements. Every landowner in the village has viable use of his property and sewer service, though not every lot can be granted a tap. Because the original plat is a dense grid, many desirable elements of Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) exist. These include grid streets, shallow setbacks, street trees, small lots at urban densities, and walkable neighborhoods with a commercial core. Generally, street improvements that incorporate improved drainage are recommended. There are opportunities for several new commercial uses along Dublin Road. New commercial uses could be approved under the new Select Planned Commercial District, which gives flexibility to the design plan. Access management controls (limiting all new curb cuts to side streets, not Dublin Road; creating stacking and turning lanes as needed, etc.) Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan Page v are important to prevent congestion and to enhance safety on this rolling state highway that is the Main Street of the Village. The intersection of Dublin Road and Glick Road has been identified as a major source of congestion, having a direct impact on the economic opportunities of the area. The solution is made difficult by the numerous entities sharing responsibility for the intersection (The City of Dublin, the Village of Shawnee Hills and ODOT). Dublin is proceeding to engineer a solution; a project that the Village should monitor and support. At some point, the Village may have to flatten some of the tops of the hills on Dublin Road to improve safe sight distance. This would be a village project, even though Dublin Road is a state route. A Dublin Road streetscape plan, with walkways, signage, and lighting, has been recommended and is in the implementation phase. Previous communications with the residents indicates a strong preference for traditional parking in the front of new commercial uses along Dublin Road to reduce noise and conflict with neighboring residences to the rear. If developed according to the plan, the village could someday have approximately 478 homes. Based upon the U.S. 2010 Census of 681 plus potential new population (184 new homes @ 3 persons/household), the village would have a future population of approximately 1,233 within the current corporate limits. The current count of 30 businesses could be augmented with 11 additional commercial building sites, some of which might have more than one business. There may be some limited opportunities for annexation, which could increase the future population and commercial/office growth and still be serviced by the village. Page vi Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan CHAPTER 1 Introduction “Make no small plans…aim high in hope and work.” - Daniel Hudson Burnham, Father of the American City Planning Movement The Shawnee Hills Additions, which collectively totaled over 3600 lots, were platted in the 1920s as a resort fishing community on the O‘Shaughnessy Reservoir of the Scioto River. Lots were small, typically 35 feet by 70 feet, exclusive of road easement. Many of the platted streets were initially constructed to access the lots, but no utilities were installed because no public water or sewer was available. Early development consisted of seasonal fishing cottages utilizing private wells and outhouses or on-site septic systems. Portions of Shawnee Hills Additions 1, 2, 3, and 4 were incorporated into the Village of Shawnee Hills in 1942. There had been little development of permanent housing at that point. Initial building regulations were adopted in 1951. These regulations (32½ feet as minimum frontage, 5 feet side yard and minimum dwelling square footage of 528 square feet) were crafted to accommodate the existing platted lots of record. Zoning was adopted in 1952, repeating the dimensional standards set in 1951. By 1960, the population was 394. In 1967, the village amended zoning to increase the minimum dwelling size to 1,050 square feet. In 1971, zoning was again amended to establish a minimum lot of 14,700 square feet (six contiguous 35‘ by 70‘ platted lots, exclusive of road easement). Without water and sewer, public health regulations served as de facto minimum lot criteria for decades due to the necessity of on-site well and septic systems. When Del–Co Water company provided public water in the 1980s, development became more feasible. The lack of sanitary sewer remained the limiting factor. In 1991 the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency notified the village of septic system failures that potentially threatened water quality in the O‘Shaughnessy Reservoir. By 2000, the village had amassed sufficient loans and grants to design and construct a limited central sewer system. Construction began in the winter of 2001. Realizing that sanitary sewer service would bring with it many collateral development issues, Shawnee Hills Village Council decided to revisit its 1997 Comprehensive Plan, contracting with the DCRPC as consultant. That plan was adopted in 2002. After a decade of growth in which 95 homes were built, village council sought to update its plan. In 2011, work began, again using a Long Range Planning Committee to discuss changes and additions. Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan Page 1 The Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan: sets goals and objectives for growth the next ten years; recommends a site-specific land use of each parcel; recommends amendments to zoning and development policies; recommends standards and layout for one and two way streets; recommends an allocation plan for sanitary sewer capacity. Digital information in the Planning Process The Delaware County Auditor has developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the primary purpose of accurately mapping tax parcels. DALIS stands for Delaware Area Land Information System. It is a very accurate, computer mapping system which offers both tabular and graphic real estate data about each of more than 90,000 tax parcels. This mapping system includes a property line layer, topography, soil maps, digital aerial photos and structure layers. Maps may be created with accuracy to a scale of 1‖ =100‘. Users may view each parcel individually at any scale. This allows the DCRPC to make a Comprehensive Land Use Plan that is site-specific. The DALIS mapping is used as the base map for the 2011 Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan. The software used is ArcInfo and ArcView, by ESRI. Page 2 Shawnee Hills Comprehensive Plan CHAPTER 2 Population and Development Trends Shawnee Hills‘ population was relatively stable for 40 years, until sewer service brought the prospect of additional housing opportunities. The addition of 262 people between 2000 and 2010 represents a 63% increase. Figure 2.1 Shawnee Hills Population 1960-2010 Year 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Population 394 428 430 423 419 681 Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Figure 2.2 Shawnee Hills Village, Ohio 2010 Census Subject All ages 18 years and over Number Precent Number Percent Race Total population 681 100.0 517 100.0 One race 672 98.7 515 99.6 White 630 92.5 486 94 Black or African American 17 2.5 12 2.3 Asian 22 3.2 16 3.1 Two or more races 9 1.3 2 0.4 Some other race 2 0.3 0 0.0 Hispanic or Latino and Race Total population 681 100.0 517 100.0 Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 13 1.9 8 1.5 Not Hispanic or Latino 668 98.1 509 98.5 One race 659 96.8 507 98.1 White 618 90.7 478 92.5 Black or African American 17 2.5 12 2.3 Asian 22 3.2 16 3.1 Two or more races 9 1.3 2 0.4 Some other race 1 0.1 0 0 Source: U.S.